A scandalous journey… 

Glassmaker’s daughter Thea Markham is devastated when her brother Daniel goes missing. Then a mysterious lord turns up asking questions about Daniel and offers to find him. Unsure she can trust the handsome peer, Thea dresses up as a boy and follows him!

Lord Vernon Beauchamp feels his life lacks direction. Meeting Thea gives him a renewed purpose. And when they are thrown together on their scandalous adventure, friendship soon gives way to desire…

The Beauchamp Betrothals

Click on title below for direct Amazon buy link:                                                Scandal and Miss Markham (The Beauchamp Betrothals)

My Review:                

Since Thea Markham was duped and jilted six years ago, she has sworn off men, and has dedicated herself to managing the family glassware business along with her brother, Daniel.  Her former fiancé, Jasper, managed to also scam everyone in her family, swindling her father out of a large sum of money, and then disappearing.  The loss of that much cash severely affected the business, and caused her father to suffer a stroke.  Since then, she and Daniel have worked tirelessly to build the business back up, while their mother cares for their bedridden father.  But now, Daniel has disappeared, and Thea is at a loss as to what she can do.  Then a stranger appears at their door…

Vernon Beauchamp is the younger son of a duke, and has lived a carefree life free of demands and full of pleasure.  When his brother receives a puzzling letter from Daniel regarding a cousin, he sends Vernon off to meet with Daniel in his stead.  Since Daniel is missing, Vernon has to talk to Thea.  After a bit of dancing around, they finally come to the conclusion that Daniel’s disappearance may be related  to Vernon’s also-missing cousin, Henry.  Vernon decides to begin an investigation to find out what happened to both men, and stubborn Thea insists that she accompany him.  When Vernon refuses, she threatens that she’ll just follow him, so he reluctantly agrees.  And accompany him, she does, but in disguise to avoid scandal.

During their road trip, Thea comes to see that behind the carefree aristocrat is an intelligent and caring man, who is nothing like her former fiancé.  Thea is impatient and ready to barrel into situations without thinking them through.  Vernon is very patient with her, always explaining why he’s handling things a certain way.  Truth be told, Vernon is thrilled to finally be useful and to have a purpose, as opposed to the social whirl that normally occupies his time.  On occasion, this couple has had to share a room, and Vernon has acted the gentleman, though he’s becoming more attracted to Thea each day.

SCANDAL AND MISS MARKHAM is a warm, engaging, and sometimes humorous story, which details two people from different walks of life falling in love.  I love Vernon, and how he became a hero to Thea.  He’s an honorable man with a serious mien under his surface charm and wit.  Thea had a bit of prejudice to overcome, and she was a tad immature, but I found that believable because of the unfortunate incident in her past.  I very much enjoyed Vernon and Thea’s journey into danger, love and happy ever after.